As an artist, I'd prefer music not be free. Artists need to eat and have bills to pay, too. Honestly, I feel like the problem is the large corporations and the lawyers and their outdated ideas. They want all the money and all the control. But I don't think this is a new problem. I feel like this is how it has always been (well for 20th century pop music) and perhaps the problem is really coming to the forefront because of how the technology has changed so quickly in the 21st century.

When I imagine a hundred years or so ago, I think perhaps we are returning to more of a situation like that, where music should all be labeled folk music. Who wrote the songs? Who knows? Does the person who copyrighted it first truly have the right to say it is their song? Didn't folk songs from a century ago change based on who was singing? or where they lived? Have we completely forgotten all about the old folk and blues songs from the late 19th and early 20th century? The singers sang what they wanted and didn't make any money off the songs (except for the money they got at a gig or street-corner). Eventually some white business executives began copyrighting and recording songs and then the songs became somewhat standardized. I believe things come and go in cycles and perhaps we are returning to times more like before there was a "music industry." I don't think it is something we should fear or try to stop. Let the corporations quake in fear of losing their grip and control over the music. Who know? perhaps us artists will get back our creativity and we can begin writing better songs again. As a musician it makes me feel torn to think that if I'm playing a live show and someone requests we perform Happy Birthday for someone in the audience, technically and by the letter of the law, Warner Brothers then has the rights to some of the SOCAN performance royalties we are supposed to collect since they own the song Happy Birthday. It just doesn't seem right to me. But I have been wrong before.

Anyways, I guess my main thought is that I no longer want to be involved with this debate. Let the "industry" die. Let the music reign. Perhaps music in our culture should be free, since most of my friends who play music have their albums paid for by tax money anyways through government grants. Why double charge the population?

I told you my opinion would change. And I seem to be doing a bad job of staying out of this debate. So many thoughts. So many questions. I think we should change our attitude and refer to this as a discussion as opposed to a debate. We've been debating too long. Let's just start communicating and discussing things. Maybe a solution will arise?

And wasn't "Brave New World" a dystopia in the end as opposed to a utopia? So Malcolm, I guess I truly like your thread title. A Brave New World of Free is a dystopia indeed! Things won't always be this way. Something has to give. . .